Culture Shock! United Arab Emirates: A Guide to Customs & Etiquette [Paperback]

Gina L Crocetti (Author)

Book Description

Series: Culture Shock! A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette | Publication Date: June 1, 2001

Whether you travel for business, pleasure, or a combination of the two, the ever-popular "Culture Shock!" series belongs in your backpack or briefcase. Get the nuts-and-bolts information you need to survive and thrive wherever you go. "Culture Shock!" country guides are easy-to-read, accurate, and entertaining crash courses in local customs and etiquette. "Culture Shock!" practical guides offer the inside information you need whether you're a student, a parent, a globetrotter, or a working traveler. "Culture Shock!" at your Door guides equip you for daily life in some of the world's most cosmopolitan cities. And "Culture Shock!" Success Secrets guides offer relevant, practical information with the real-life insights and cultural know-how that can make the difference between business success and failure.

Each "Culture Shock!" title is written by someone who's lived and worked in the country, and each book is packed with practical, accurate, and enjoyable information to help you find your way and feel at home.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company; Expanded edition (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558686339
• ISBN-13: 978-1558686335
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,008,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #35 in Books > History > Middle East > United Arab Emirates

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not My Experience, February 14, 2004

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Culture Shock! United Arab Emirates: A Guide to Customs & Etiquette (Paperback)

I read Culture Shock before traveling to Dubai and found almost everything described in the book either incorrect or outdated. Granted, I never traveled outside of urban areas and mostly dealt with business people in the Emirates but found everyone I met with to be genuine and warm.

In my opinion the UAE is a unique place in the world, and not only looks to the future on a grand scale but has the funding and vision to make it happen.

I agree that one should be sensitive to cultural differences, but not to the degree of that the author indicates.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Shocked!, April 22, 2011

By 

Ann447 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Culture Shock! United Arab Emirates: A Guide to Customs & Etiquette (Paperback)

I recommend you do not waste time or money on this book.

Crocetti's book is filled with stereotypes and false information. After living in the Middle East for 21 years, many of those in the United Arab Emirates, I am shocked by the information Crocetti has collected. She is unqualified in writing such a book, and I hope that none will take the information seriously as it is mostly inaccurate. Crocetti labels non-Emirates as "Westerners," not recognizing the similarities the two cultures share. They are not clashing, but different.

As a person who has lived in the region and has many friends there, I find Crocetti's implied notion that Emirates are unlike "Westerners" very misleading. Emirati society is divided and different, as all societies. Her constant generalizations such as all Emiraties are wealthy and women always prioritize beauty are just appalling.

I am shocked that Crocetti's work has been taken seriously. Any person who has lived in the United Arab Emirates should know that her book is filled with false information. (To list them all, I'd have to quote the majority of the book.)

Finally, this book is out-of-date as the United Arab Emirates has changed immensely, including in cultural norms.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear view of life for an expatriate in the Emirates, July 24, 2001

By 

"[e-mail]" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Culture Shock! United Arab Emirates: A Guide to Customs & Etiquette (Paperback)

I particularly liked the chapter on Culture Shock. The stages of shock as described by Ms. Crocetti are worth reading no matter what country you visit. The Emirates are a bit unusual in that they are a conglomeration of many cultures with a distinct minority as the dominant one. Ms. Crocetti clearly grasps the 'things are not as they seem' society and gives sound advice for coping.